Tesco pay out £3,000 race discrimination claim after shopper is stopped and searched

A child who brought a race discrimination claim against Tesco as a result of being stopped and searched has received £3,000, in what is thought to be the first case of its kind.

The unnamed child was stopped by a shop assistant at the Maida Vale Tesco store in November 2013 who grabbed his arm and took him into an office in the back of the store.

He was not told why he had been detained or why he was being held in the back room and the duty manager of the store soon joined the Tesco worker to assist in the search.

When the employees didn’t find any items on the child, he was allowed to leave. But he later told his mother about the incident, saying he now felt vulnerable when entering shops and that he had been targeted for treatment because he is mixed race.

The child’s mother contacted trade union GMB who later instructed solicitors to pursue a claim for race discrimination.

“It is unacceptable to treat somebody differently because of their race, and what was particularly concerning about this incident was the physical, high-handed manner of Tesco’s conduct.”

Nick Webster

She said: “My son was treated utterly appallingly. Doing nothing just wasn’t an option - there was no way that I could stomach Tesco getting away with how they treated my son because of his race. Getting reparation, and recognition for how they had wronged my son, was ‘like getting blood out of a stone’ but our efforts were worth it.”

Her son added: “The way Tesco treated me was unacceptable and for a while left me constantly unnerved whenever I was in a store. I think it is absolutely fantastic that we have been able to show them this is not acceptable and that they cannot get away with these kinds of actions anymore.

The child’s solicitor, Nick Webster from Leigh Day, said: "It is unacceptable to treat somebody differently because of their race.

"Our client was particularly upset by what he felt to be the physical, high-handed manner of Tesco’s conduct and has been left scarred by the incident.

"Our client hopes that this case will encourage others, who have been subjected to this type of treatment, to have the confidence to speak out."

A Tesco spokesman said: "Everyone is welcome at Tesco so we take any allegations of this nature extremely seriously.

"As has already been disclosed, this person was stopped as the colleague believed they had been shoplifting. We have agreed to settle the case with no admission of liability."